Now it's the police raising the alarm that there are holes in the safety net for children.

WISN 12 News investigative reporter Colleen Henry dissects the anatomy of a single neglect allegation to demonstrate police concerns about how the system handles early neglect complaints.

When firefighters entered a burning West Allis home in April, they found three tiny charred bodies huddled under a dresser.

Police said their mom bolted the bedroom door when she left for work, so 5-year-old Nayeli and twin brothers Alex and Adrian wouldn't wander outside and show the neighbors they were home alone.

"The mother there had been told many times, 'Don't leave your kids home alone,' and the bureau was very actively involved in that and that tragedy still happened," Milwaukee police Inspector Carianne Yerkes said.

The West Allis kids were front of mind when police responded to a child neglect call at a Milwaukee home in early June. Three children under age 3 were home found home alone. The youngest child was just 3 weeks old.

Milwaukee Police Department Inspector Carianne Yerkes and Capt. James Shepard oversee child neglect cases. They said they are so frustrated by what happened at this house, they had to speak out.

"A 3-week-old baby left in the care of a 3-year-old," Yerkes said.

A neighbor called police after a 7-year-old came home from school and found herself locked out. Her 3-year-old brother, 1-year-old sister and newborn were brother locked inside.

"She was knocking on the door for about an hour after she got off the school bus, and she said her baby brother was in there crying," a neighbor said.

Another neighbor, the girl's 9-year-old friend, helped her get into the house.

"It was a newborn baby, a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old in there by (themselves)," the friend said.

The playmate helped tend to the little ones.

"All of them had used on themselves, so we had to help her change them and stuff," the friend said.

The playmate said her friend kept crying. She was afraid she was going to get in trouble "beause she called the police. That's why she's going to get in trouble, and I told her she's not going to get in trouble because it wasn't her fault," the friend said.

WISN 12 News obtained the police report, which says the girl told officers, "Her mother was at work, and she could not find a day care to watch she and her brothers, so she usually watched" them, adding, "She did not want to get a whipping for allowing the police to enter her residence," "she did not want her mother to get in trouble," and "she did not want to go to a foster home."

"It's a huge red flag. It should definitely be sending a red flag off somewhere," Yerkes said.

When the mom showed up, she told officers she'd been gone just a half hour, although the 911 call came in an hour earlier. Police ordered her to appear at the District Attorney's Office, but prosecutors declined to press charges.

"She's claiming she left these kids in the care of the 17-year-old, and he's the one who left them home alone," Yerkes said.

Police said the mom had no address or phone number for the brother. She said he was homeless. A neighbor told officers, "This was not the first time the children were left home alone."

WISN 12 News went to the family's home.

"I'm from Channel 12. We're just following up on the visit from the police the other day," Henry said to the man who answered the door.

The man said he's the father of the four kids. Their mom wasn't home.

"Kids get locked out the house all the time. That don't mean it's right for any reason. Parents need to be more responsible," the father said. "But I'm blessed to say my children were not in a fire. They're living. They're safe. They're home."

Then he called his 7-year-old daughter to the door.

"This is my daughter. She loves me. Are you safe? Are you at home? Are you fine?" he said to the girl.

The bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare told WISN 12 News confidentiality laws prevent it from acknowledging any contact with this or any family.

"When you have a situation like this, and there are not going to be criminal charges, is there still another way to get them into the court system? Is there still a way to get them under protection?" Yerkes asked.

Police believe it's time to rethink how early child neglect reports are handled to protect children so the next time isn't the last time.

"We can't stay there to ensure the kids are taken care of properly. That's why we're raising this issue," Milwaukee police Capt. James Shepard said.

"We're done till somebody calls us again," Yerkes said.

"And that scares you?" Henry asked.

"Very much," Yerkes said.

WISN 12 News is not identifying the family to protect the four children left home alone.

Police said child welfare put a relative in the home to supervise the family, but when WISN 12 News arrived, there was no sign of that relative.

When Henry questioned the bureau, workers said the law prevents them from commenting.

EACH YEAR, MILWAUKEE POLICE TACKLE NEARLY 2- THOUSAND REPORTS OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT ... MANY NEVER RESULT IN CRIMINAL CHARGES. TONIGHT -- A CALL FOR CHANGE TO PROTECT CHILDREN. COLLEEN HENRY IS HERE WITH A 12 NEWS INVESTIGATION. WHAT'S DIFFERENT HERE -- TONIGHT IT'S THE POLICE RAISING THE ALARM THAT THERE ARE HOLES IN THE SAFETY NET FOR CHILDREN. THE NEWS BROUGHT A COLLECTIVE CRUSH OF COMMUNITY DESPAIR... WHEN FIREFIGHTERS COULD FINALLY ENTER THIS BURNING WEST ALLIS HOME LAST APRIL, THEY FOUND THREE TINY CHARRED BODIES HUDDLED UNDER A DRESSER... POLICE SAY THEIR MOM BOLTED THE BEDROOM DOOR WHEN SHE LEFT FOR WORK SO 5-YEAR-OLD NAYELI AND TWIN BROTHERS ALEX AND ADRIAN WOULDN'T WANDER OUTSIDE AND SHOW THE NEIGHBORS THEY WERE HOME ALONE. 11:47:16 THE MOTHER THERE HAD BEEN TOLD MANY TIMES DON'T LEAVE YOUR KIDS HOME ALONE AND THE BUREAU WAS VERY ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THAT AND THAT TRAGEDY STILL HAPPENED 22 THE WEST ALLIS KIDS WERE FRONT OF MIND WHEN POLICE RESPONDED TO A CHILD NEGLECT CALL AT THIS MILWAUKEE HOME IN EARLY JUNE...THREE CHILDREN UNDER THREE HOME FOUND HOME ALONE...THE YOUNGEST JUST THREE WEEKS OLD. M-P-D INSPECTOR CARIANNE YERKES AND CAPTAIN JAMES SHEPARD OVERSEE CHILD NEGLECT CASES. THEY ARE SO FRUSTRATED BY WHAT HAPPENED AT THIS HOUSE, THEY HAD TO SPEAK OUT. 11:41:35 A THREE-WEEK-OLD BABY LEFT IN THE CARE OF A THREE-YEAR-OLD 36 THIS NEIGHBOR CALLED POLICE AFTER THIS 7 YEAR OLD CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL AND FOUND HERSELF LOCKED OUT. HER THREE YEAR OLD BROTHER, ONE YEAR OLD SISTER, AND NEWBORN BROTHER LOCKED INSIDE. 34:27 SHE WAS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR FOR ABOUT AN HOUR AFTER SHE GOT OFF THE SCHOOL BUS AND SHE SAID HER BABY BROTHER WAS IN THERE CRYING 31 ANOTHER NEIGHBOR, THE GIRLS NINE YEAR OLD FRIEND, HELPED HER GET INTO THE HOUSE. 37:41 IT WAS A NEWBORN BABY, A ONE-YEAR-OLD AND A THREE-YEAR-OLD IN THERE BY THEIRSELVES 53 ...THE PLAYMATE HELPED TEND TO THE LITTLE ONES. 38:54 ALL OF THEM HAD USED ON THEMSELVES, SO WE HAD TO HELP HER CHANGE THEM AND STUFF 58 THE PLAYMATE SAYS HER FRIEND KEPT CRYING - SHE WAS AFRAID SHE WAS GOING TO GET IN TROUBLE. 38:29 CAUSE SHE CALLED THE POLICE THAT'S WHY SHE'S GOING TO GET IN TROUBLE, AND I TOLD HER SHE'S NOT GOING TO GET IN TROUBLE, BECAUSE IT WASN'T HER FAULT 37 12 NEWS OBTAINED THE POLICE REPORT - WHICH SAYS THE GIRL TOLD OFFICERS - QUOTE - "HER MOTHER WAS AT WORK, AND SHE COULD NOT FIND A DAY CARE TO WATCH SHE AND HER BROTHERS SO SHE USUALLY WATCHED" THEM ...ADDING "SHE DID NOT WANT TO GET A WHIPPING FOR ALLOWING THE POLICE TO ENTER HER RESIDENCE." "SHE DID NOT WANT HER MOTHER TO GET IN TROUBLE"...AND "SHE DID NOT WANT TO GO TO A FOSTER HOME". 11:41:39 IT'S A HUGE RED FLAG, IT SHOULD DEFINITELY BE SENDING A RED FLAG OFF SOMEWHERE WHEN THE MOM SHOWED UP, SHE TOLD OFFICERS SHE'D BEEN GONE JUST A HALF HOUR...THOUGH THE 911 CALL CAME IN AN HOUR EARLIER. POLICE ORDERED HER TO APPEAR AT THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE... BUT PROSECUTORS DECLINED TO PRESS CHARGES. 11:35:12 SHE'S CLAIMING SHE LEFT THESE KIDS IN THE CARE OF THE 17-YEAR-OLD AND HE'S THE ONE WHO LEFT THEM HOME ALONE 16 POLICE SAY THE MOM HAD NO ADDRESS OR PHONE NUMBER FOR THE BROTHER - SHE SAID HE WAS HOMELESS. A NEIGHBOR TOLD OFFICERS "THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE CHILDREN WERE LEFT HOME ALONE." 21:15 COLLEEN KNOCKING 12 NEWS WENT TO THE FAMILY'S HOME. 21:34 I'M FROM CHANNEL 12 WE'RE JUST FOLLOWING UP ON THE VISIT FROM THE POLICE THE OTHER DAY...39 THIS MAN SAYS HE'S THE FATHER OF THE FOUR KIDS...THEIR MOM WASN'T HOME. 26:36 KIDS GET LOCKED OUT THE HOUSE ALL THE TIME THAT DON'T MEAN IT'S RIGHT FOR ANY REASON, PARENTS NEED TO BE MORE RESPONSIBLE 45 25:04 BUT I'M BLESSED TO SAY MY CHILDREN WERE NOT IN A FIRE, THEY'RE LIVING, THEY'RE SAFE, THEY'RE HOME08 THEN HE CALLED HIS 7-YEAR- OLD DAUGHTER TO THE DOOR. 25:24 COME HERE, BABY.. 26:09 THIS IS MY DAUGHTER, SHE LOVE ME, ARE YOU SAFE, ARE YOU AT HOME, ARE YOU FINE ...YEAH 16 THE BUREAU OF MILWAUKEE CHILD WELFARE TOLD 12 NEWS CONFIDENTIALITY LAWS PREVENT IT FROM ACKNOWLEDGING ANY CONTACT WITH THIS OR ANY FAMILY. 11:40:19 WHEN YOU HAVE A SITUATION LIKE THIS AND THERE ARE NOT GOING TO BE CRIMINAL CHARGES, IS THERE STILL ANOTHER WAY TO GET THEM INTO THE COURT SYSTEM, IS THERE STILL A WAY TO GET THEM UNDER PROTECTION? 27 POLICE BELIEVE IT'S TIME TO RETHINK HOW EARLY CHILD NEGLECT REPORTS ARE HANDLED... TO PROTECT CHILDREN SO THE NEXT TIME ISN'T THE LAST TIME. 11:40:53 WE CAN'T STAY THERE TO ENSURE THE KIDS ARE TAKEN CARE OF PROPERLY 56 THAT'S WHY WE'RE RAISING THIS ISSUE 59 11:45:01 WE'RE DONE TILL SOMEBODY CALLS US AGAIN. AND THAT SCARES YOU. VERY MUCH 05 12 NEWS IS NOT IDENTIFYING THE FAMILY TO PROTECT THE FOUR CHILDREN LEFT HOME ALONE. POLICE SAY CHILD WELFARE PUT A ALONE. POLICE SAY CHILD WELFARE PUT A RELATIVE IN THE HOME TO SUPERVISE THE FAMILY ...WHEN 12 NEWS ARRIVED...THERE WAS NO SIGN OF THAT RELATIVE. WHEN WE QUESTIONED THE BUREAU - WORKERS SAID THE LAW PREVENTS THEM FROM COMMENTING. TOMORROW ON 12 NEWS AT TEN, WE ASK A LEADING LAWMAKER IN CHILD WELFARE REFORM WHAT CAN BE DONE. THANKS, COLLEEN.